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Ok, so January felt like an extremely long month, probably the longest so far, but it was also a good time for relaxation, which probably won’t be the case for the rest of my time here. I’ll explain more on some significant changes in what I will be doing for the last few months in Thailand. Although January was long it was also a time to reflect on what God has done in my life while I have been here. It also has given me a chance (along with my team mates) to think about the MI-9 program and come up with suggestions on how to improve the program for future interns.
January was by no means altogether boring. Let me tell you all about it!
The Tsunami
It was a very sad beginning to the New Year here in Asia, Southeast Asia especially. Unfortunately, many people started the New Year with the loss of loved ones or the loss of everything they owned. Please remember these people in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you again for all the outpouring of concern that you showed for me and my safety. I am very thankful that I was not anywhere near the beach at that point. While standing on the beach in Singapore a few days later, I was overwhelmed with the thought of what it must have been like to see the ocean come rushing towards me with such force. I can’t even imagine it. The amazing thing here is the stories that I have heard of people who by a miracle had decided to do something other than go to that area of Thailand, or while in that area had decided to do something other than visit the beach at that time, or by circumstances left the area the day before the tsunamis. Here in Thailand, the good news is that many more people survived the tsunami than were taken by it. We were hoping to visit the Phi Phi Islands for our debrief in April. It doesn’t look like that can happen because the hotels on the islands were almost all totally destroyed. Fortunately, we will still be able to visit the beautiful islands. However, it looks like the other areas like Phuket and Krabi should be great to visit by that time and they are already eager for tourists to come. There are pleas in the Bangkok Post for tourists to come back. The rubble and all that was destroyed has been quickly removed and much of the area wasn’t affected at all. Many of the hotels are running normally, just no tourists. So, if you have any inclination to come to Thailand, it is beautiful and ready for you!
Singapore
January and the New Year started off while in Singapore. Yes, another trip to another foreign country! I do love to travel! Although I am glad to have had a few weeks before traveling again. Singapore was a wonderful place and I enjoyed being there for six days. We were able to see many things as well as eat plenty of American food (that was the best part!). We filled our tummies on such delicacies as McDonalds, Taco Bell, Subway, Long John Silvers, Burger King, pizza, and movie theater nachos. Yummy! The biggest downside to Singapore was the cost of everything. After living in Thailand for 5 months I have gotten used to cheaper Asian prices, but Singapore tends to be right up there with prices from the US. $4 for a meal…you have got to be kidding me! :) Bum and I attempted to eat at a Black Angus but quickly changed our minds after seeing the cost of food to be around 30 Singapore dollars (about $18 US).
Other than eating such wonderful (and oh so healthy) food, we also saw a lot while in Singapore. Unfortunately, it was rainy in Singapore too and so our beach excursion didn’t consist of anything other than walking along the beach, reading a book, and getting our feet wet. The good thing is that unlike Vietnam it was still warm and not cold. The rain did stop for a while when were at the beach which was very nice, because other than that it rained consistently. The rain tried to put a damper on our other activities, but we forged ahead anyway. We went to Little India and had temporary henna tattoos painted on our hands, walked around the Christmas displays up and down Orchard Street in the shopping district, saw a couple movies, took cable cars to Sentosa Island where we went to Underwater World and Dolphin Lagoon where we saw pink dolphins (for real!), played in the snow at Snow City (yes, I did pay money to go inside a cold building filled with snow and to go sledding. I can’t believe it myself…it sounds dumb, but it felt a little like home this time of year. The good thing is that I could then go outside to 80 degree weather.), walked around Chinatown, attended an English speaking church, saw the World’s Largest Fountain, walked around the very cool Singapore zoo, and visited the Botanic Gardens.
My biggest impression of Singapore is shopping. I saw more malls in those six days than I have ever seen in one place. We would get off the subway and be dumped into shopping malls. Then when we would get above ground there would be one on each corner at least 4 stories tall! It was that way almost everywhere we went. I’d have to say that I am happy to not see any malls around me in Ubon. Anyway, overall, it was a fun, event-filled trip and I am thankful to have the opportunity to visit another new place.
Oh, and the good news about Singapore is that Kim got her visa and it is the last one that she will need to get for the remaining time. This was the easiest attempt she had at getting her visa, no questions asked. Praise God for providing!
The Northeast Polytechnic College
Classes resumed again on January 5 after time off for midterms and our trip to Singapore. Grading the Midterms was dismal, but we shall carry on. After all, we are still here to build relationships as well as teach English. We are almost through with teaching…3 more weeks is all. While I am thankful for the opportunity, I am very excited to be nearing the end of teaching. Colleges in Thailand are run very differently than at home and just when you think that it couldn’t get any stranger, it does.
My Birthday
I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting much from my birthday and had rather low expectations of the day. BUT, I was very wrong! My birthday started a day early, actually the night before when Kim, Bum, Steve, and Greta surprised me with party favors and going to get some wonderful Thai dessert. Greta and Bum were both supposed to be gone for my actual birthday, thus the plan the night before. Then the day of my birthday as I was getting ready in the morning, Kim asked if the birthday girl was coming out soon. So, I opened my door and was faced with a wall of newspaper and a sign saying Happy Birthday. I asked her just how I was supposed to come out of my room and she said, “Run through it of course!” So, I did. After my short-lived feeling like a sports star moment, I saw that Kim had fixed breakfast for me….pancakes…yum! Bum was supposed to be there but she wasn’t around. More on why a little later. I then got ready to head to class to teach for the morning. Right in the middle of teaching, Kim brought her whole class up with the party favors and a donut (you know the traditional birthday donut, since cake is harder to come by) with a candle in it and sang happy birthday. I was a little embarrassed, but it was fun. After teaching we headed to the hospital, no, not for me. This is where Bum was. Greta had called her at 2:00 in the morning having problems breathing. Actually, she had had this problem for a few days, but it got much worse. So, I got to go to the hospital on my birthday. Doesn’t that scream fun?! Well, Greta was doing fine. They weren’t sure what the problem was, but they think it was severe asthma. She seems to be doing ok and was released from the hospital that day. So, after the stop at the hospital it was off to the Pizza Company for an American lunch! Yum! Then Kim and I went home for a relaxing afternoon during which I checked my email and was greeted with many birthday wishes from home. Very cool! I also received some calls from my family and friends, which was great! Then that evening we went to the little carnival/market thing that was in town and ended the evening with a DVD at home. Oh, but my birthday didn’t end there. I received more emails and a phone calls the next day, which was still my birthday at home. Then the following Monday, my Thai friends who had been out of town during the week stopped by in the evening with a gift for me and sang happy birthday to me once more. Then, our cute little cleaning lady got me a very nice card that plays the loudest version of happy birthday that you could imagine coming from a greeting card. So, this was definitely an absolutely wonderful birthday because of all the wonderful people in my life. Thank you!
March and April Changes
Here’s where the big changes that I mentioned above come in. As of now, it appears as if our team is moving down to the Phuket area of Thailand for the rest of our time here. We plan to leave Ubon and Northeast Thailand on February 26, when we pile into the car and drive for 16+ hours down to the beach. We will actually be about an hour north of Phuket in an area known as Khao Lak. It is where the majority of destruction and death occurred here in Thailand. We are going to be working alongside a foundation here in Thailand called the Mercy Foundation to help rebuild 50 homes in the area. From what I understand, there are 1500+ homes that need to be built in this part of Thailand. I am thankful for the opportunity to play a small part in the rebuilding process and reach out to these wonderful people who have suffered so much. The town where we will be helping is an area that consisted of around 8000 people and lost around 3000 in the tsunami, very sad. It will be an exciting time to reach out to these people and meet their physical needs along with their spiritual needs! Not only will we be building houses, but we will also be working with the people who are now living in refugee camps waiting for new homes to be built. What an exciting calling to show the love of God to these people!
So, there you have it. The big changes that are occurring out here in Thailand. Please pray for all of us as we make the transition from Northeast Thailand to Southern Thailand. (I know, it will be tough living near the world-renowned beaches for 9 weeks!) We will also be heading down there at the beginning of the hot season. From what I understand it is dreadfully hot, the hottest all year. It has already gotten significantly hotter in the last 10 days or so. We jumped from mid-80s to mid to upper 90s in that amount of time. It is hot already! When March and April come the temps stay that high and the humidity rises dramatically. Pray for us to be able to physically endure the weather. From what I hear, they actually build in the evenings and not during the hot part of the day.
Please also pray that we will find a place to live quickly and that it will be affordable. This change of plans will be more costly than just staying in Ubon. Pray that God will stretch our resources. Pray that the final preparations will come together for us to go. Mercy Foundation is waiting for government approval before they can start building. Pray that that will happen quickly. The government has very strict regulations on what can be built and how much it can cost. Pray that it will be sufficient to meet the needs of the people. And finally, pray for safe travel down there.
If you would like to give directly to Mercy Foundation that I will be working with to help raise the funds necessary for this project, please go to their website at: http://www.mekongevangelical.org. 100% of your donation will go directly to the building of houses. They are also looking for groups and individuals to come and help with construction.
Also, due to the changes, we will obviously not have the same address. So, any mail that is sent to me here in Ubon needs to be sent no later than Feb. 11. If I get a new address in Khao Lak where mail can be sent I will let you know. My phone number will remain the same for the remainder of my time here.
Prayer Requests
1. Communication within the team along with unity. Right now things are going well between all of us.
2. Pray for confidence in my teaching ability as well as continuing to build relationships with the students. Pray for effective teaching. I feel very overwhelmed at times with the responsibilities that I have. Pray that I will continually give everything to God and realize that through Him I can do anything.
3. Pray for safe travel to the conference in Cha-Am (east cost of southern Thailand) February 5-13. Pray for safety and a good time of relaxation and rejuvenation, as well as a wonderful conference.
4. Pray for safe travel for my dad when he comes to visit me after the conference! He will be here for a week. I can’t wait! Pray for a great time together.
5. Pray for continued health. I am doing well right now.
6. Pray for my feelings of homesickness.
7. Pray for the Thai people, that God will open their hearts to Him and they will see the truth of Jesus.
8. Pray that ultimately everything I do will glorify and honor God! That people will see Jesus through me.
9. Pray for my attitude as it is sometimes focused on the wrong thing due to frustrations. Pray that I won’t let circumstances steal my joy and take my focus away from my purpose.
10. Pray for accountability in prayer for me. I sometimes feel hypocritical asking all of you to pray for me and then I fail to pray for these things myself. For some reason, I find it easier to pray for other’s issues than my own. Pray that I will lift my own needs up to God.
Praises
1. A safe trip to Singapore.
2. Kim’s visa.
3. Time to reflect and prepare for the busy season ahead.
4. The freedom we have in Christ.
5. The sun that shines here everyday.
Words of Encouragement
Ephesians 3:12 (NLT)
Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come fearlessly into God's presence, assured of his glad welcome.
Ephesians 3:16-21 (NLT)
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever
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6. January 2005
